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# The Degrees of the Gift

#### by Mark D F Shirley

The copyright of this article remains with the original author. Articles may be copied or distributed freely for personal non-profit use, provided that the author is properly credited.

The Degrees of the Gift, by Cogitabunda scholae Bonisagi.

Magic has been my object of study for many years, and at last I feel that I am able to finally propound some of my ideas to the scrutiny of my colleagues. This is but the first of several essays on the nature of the Gift that sets us apart from the common man.

I am not of the opinion (held by some of my esteemed colleagues, most notably Astacus of House Jerbiton), that Man is totipotent with regards to the Gift of Magic. It is the hypothesis of some that the Gift of Magic is inherent in the Immortal Soul of every human being. They claim that the commonest peasant, no matter how rude and uneducated, can be taught the ars magicae with the correct training. Proponents of this theory cite the incidences of the Gentle Gift as their main evidence for this preposterous idea. The Gift, so say the followers of Astacus, that the Gift as was known to Bonisagus, is merely a cosmetic effect, the result of a poor training that allows the magical forces that we harness to spill over, and make animals avoid us, and cause distrust and distaste in mankind. They would have you believe that the so-called Gentle Gift is the truest manifestation of the magical nature of Man's soul - magus at harmony with nature. According to this hypothesis, there is nothing inherently special about a man that makes it possible for him to use the Magical Arts.

I do not intend to go into a lengthy debate in this forum to refute the ideas of Astacus, I will merely state that this 'Common Man Hypothesis' is utterly false. My experiments have proven that something, which may be conveniently labelled the Gift (gentle or not), is unique about the members of the Order of Hermes - and for that matter, the common wizard - an indescribable quality is present that is missing in a mundane man. The most powerful magics at the disposal of House Bonisagus have been applied to this problem, and we (as a House) have discovered categorically that the majority of the human species lacks the Gift of Magic.

However, there is a not-insignificant proportion of men (and women) surveyed that, while not members of the Order, still possessed some measure of the Gift. In some, this power has been trained, resulting in the many types of Hedge Wizard found outside the bounds of the Order. Most of these are not worthy of the attentions of our hoplites, some hold a power as dangerous as our own. The greater proportion of these individuals, however, have never received training in the occult arts- formal or informal - and their power is raw, without form. These individuals may display some magical talent, and, given time and diligence, can be trained as apprentices.

It is my belief that the Gift can be likened to a strange and mystical plant. All Man is but Dust, says the Bible - a useful metaphor, for if Man is Dust, the Soul of Man can be likened to a good loamy soil, the humus fertilis animae. In the majority of humans, this soil is barren, devoid of life. However, by some process, some men gain a seed - a seed of magic. This may be a Gift from God, a product of the emanations from the planetary forces, the heritage of the Old Ones - we will perhaps never know. However, I have examined some possible origins in an essay entitled The Flavours of the Gift.

Of those that receive this magical germ, most often it lies dormant, pregnant with power but un-nurtured with the victuals it requires. It might germinate later in life, given the right stimulus, but is, in the most part, a latent magical power. I call this seed the granum vis futuri, the Seed of Potential Power, for it lies dormant until (or unless) it is promoted to growth.

In some of those with the Seed of Magic, it germinates early, and sends down a root into the soil of their soul. These individuals typically exhibit some minor magical powers - the ability to see spirits is common, as it the ability to douse for water. These in the most part are passive powers, and are Mantic in nature. I will explain these in more detail in a later essay - suffice is to say now that they are divinatory magics, and require no formal learning. These divinatory magics are the most basic of magics because they are intuitive. One is not taught how to see spirits, or feel the flow of fluid vis, it is knowledge inborn to those that receive the Seed of Magic. The mantic powers are not a product of the Seed itself, they are just the most accessible powers to the root of the germinating seed that searches deep into the soul-soil of the wizard or magus. This rootling Gift is subtle and is the most occult of the various types of Gift, and is the hardest to detect. It is rarely visible enou gh to be influenced by any specific supernatural power, hidden as it is in the soul of its possessor. This germinated Seed of Magic, if properly trained in the occult arts, will develop into the Gentle Gift. This Gift I refer to as the radix sapientae interioris, the Root of Inner Wisdom, as it searches deep into the soul to bring forth its power.

In a few, the magical seed puts out a shoot as well as a root. These not only tap the power of the soul through the root, but also enable an outward manifestation of magical powers. It is these individuals who we, as magi, are most likely to spot as potential apprentice material. The outward projection of power is like the shoot of new grain, protruding from the farmer's field, and it is the greenness of the shoot that brings it to our attention. It is the suculus impulsionis externae, the Shoot of Outward Influence. Even without any training, those that have such a plant of magic growing within them can affect the world around them through the power of their magic. These manifested powers are of the type of magic called Goetic, or low magic, which will again be described in a later essay. As before, these powers are not a product of the Gift itself, they are just the way in that the Gift tends to manifest itself. Goetia is the influence of the natural world around oneself, the altering of the flow of fluid vis to achieve the goals of one's Will. It is obvious to all that those that possess this shoot of magic must also possess the root - how can one influence fluid vis if one is unable to detect its flow?

In precisely the same way as a grain of wheat responds to the heat of the sun and the life-giving rain, the suculus impulsionis externae is sent forth by the Seed of Magic in response to external influences. Quite what brings about this issuing forth of the plant from the fertile soil will shape the plant as it grows. Faerie power or faerie lore is a common mulch for the magical herb, especially amongst the peasantry. Such plants of magic grow wild and unhindered. About as common is exposure to Infernal forces, though the plant which issues forth will grow twisted and yellow, and bear strange fruit, should it live that long. The purely magical Gift is rare indeed, but may be the only one that is suitable for Hermetic training - this is why apprentices must be taken when they are still children, as the plant must be trained to grow how the magus desires it to grow, and not become entrained by other supernatural powers. Finally, in some very rare instances, the seedling might be nourished by a Divine light. I have seen but one such Gift in my life, and it was a truly wonderous sight.

This Gift is the one with the most diverse nature. In some it may be stunted through disuse or fear, and never amount to much. In others it may be encouraged by a supernatural power, or perhaps a hedge wizard, who will act as a gardener, guiding the growth of the wondrous plant until it sets forth blossoms or fruit which are the workings of magic. In some individuals, whose souls are deep enough to hold mighty roots, the power might grow to equal that of the fully trained Hermetic Gift. There are, without a doubt, wizards who are not members of the Order, but who still have mighty magics at their command. It is this Gift, with both root and shoot, which is most commonly found within the Order of Hermes, and is often known as the standard Hermetic Gift.

There is one final type of Gift. This one germinates of its own accord, and wastes no time in growing. It spreads throught the soul of its possessor, occupying every corner of his soul with its roots. It sends shoots out into the world, and in no time at all is a mighty treee of magic, with boughs reaching to heaven. Through our Hermetic training we hope to allow the Mantic or the Goetic Gift to grow into such a mighty edifice, but some are born brimming with the power already. These individuals are surely those who possess the Blatant Gift, and often make the strongest magi. The magic that they naturally exhibit has been termed Theurgy, or high magic. This is the power used by all true practitioners of magic (including the Order of Hermes), the power that elevates its wielder to a higher level, enabling them to tap into the power of the Old Ones. One hopes that all members of the Order eventually develop this skill - whether through birth or through careful training through long and difficult years of apprenticeship. It is the power to intercept and channel the heavenly emanations, thus I refer to it as the folium deprecationis caelestis, the Leaf of Heavenly Intercession, in my herbal analogy of the Gift.

This variety of Gift, being as close to the heavenly powers as it is, is the most susceptible to being swayed by external supernatural powers. In the same way that leaves turn towards the light, this Gift can be turned with ease towards the seductive powers of Arcadia and the Infernus. Only those that grow without bias, straight and true, remain true to magic and magic alone. Only those Gifts that actively turn away from the call of power are the very rare few that develop a Divine Theurgic Gift, able to supplicate God himself.

All three of these Gifts, the Gentle, Blatant or otherwise, can produce fruit or flowers. Even roots swell with power and can be nourishing to man - indeed, they form the staple food of many poorer folk. For this reason, the Root Gift is envisioned as the mainstay of magic - all possess it to one extent or another. The Shoot Gift produces flowers, cosmetic and occasionally with a powerful perfume, but ephemeral nevertheless. The Leaf Gift is a fruitful Gift, producing lasting and nourishing magics, like the fruit of the tree. These tubers, fruit and flowers are the machinatio magica, the Magical Workings, known by Hermetic magi as 'spells'.

So, to summarise, I hypothesise that the Gentle Gift is the manifestation of magic drawn intuitively from within the magus or wizard who wields the power. It uses the body as a lens, focusing the fluid vis of the world, and thus it has subtle impact on the world. The standard Gift is an outward directed power, caused through the agency of one of the four Supernatural Powers, and allows basic magical manipulation of the world. The Blatant Gift is that that blossoms of its own accord, and before any training is received, begins to manipulate the power of the Supernatural realms directly.

The genius of Bonisagus was to enable all three of these Gifts to reach its fullest potential, and grow strong, whatever the origins, into the blossoming tree of Hermetic Magic.